After beginning interleague play in the middle of what would become an historic low, the Yomiuri Giants are poised to end the annual midseason competition on a high note.

Kazuto Taguchi pitched a four-hit shutout, Casey McGehee drove in two runs and the Giants routed the Chiba Lotte Marines for the second straight night, blowing out the Pacific League cellar-dwellers 8-0 on Saturday at Tokyo Dome.

The Giants, who won by the same score on Friday night, began interleague play with nine straight losses (part of a franchise-worst 13-game skid), but would finish up on a three-game winning streak with a victory over the Marines on Sunday afternoon.